1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a ground-engaging accessory unit for attachment to and detachment from luggage, suitcases and like objects which are transported from place to place by manual effort and, more particularly, to a detachable luggage caster roller unit and/or a detachable luggage skid-type runner unit. Still more particularly, this invention relates to a convertible arrangement for readily and easily interchanging a luggage caster roller unit with a skid-type runner unit, and vice versa.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known to attach many kinds of detachable caster roller units and/or skid-type runner units to one end of a suitcase or other item of luggage in order to facilitate the movement thereof. Although generally satisfactory for their intended purpose, the conventional detachable caster roller units have not proven to be altogether practical in use. The conventional caster roller units are generally inconvenient and cumbersome to attach to an article of luggage. Furthermore, once attached, the conventional caster roller assemblies are too easily detached from the luggage. It has been found that the detachable caster roller assemblies sometimes slip off the luggage during transport, thereby compelling the user to attempt to re-attach the caster roller assemblies. In some cases, the caster roller assemblies are lost, thereby making their re-attachment impossible. The problem of undesirable slipping-off of the caster roller assemblies from the luggage is aggravated in some constructions by the fact that the main connector, which actuates the disassembly, typically extends beyond the general outline of the other connecting parts of the unit, thus exposing the main connector to accidental displacement and consequent disassembly of the unit.
To prevent such accidental disassembly of the caster roller units, the component parts of the conventional caster roller units have been deliberately designed to be interconnected in a very secure locking arrangement which is not readily disassembled. Hence, it is extremely difficult for a user to interchange one caster roller assembly for another, or to interchange one caster roller assembly for a skid-type runner assembly. Indeed, the difficulty in disassembling such securely-locked caster roller units generally prevents such interchange from being effected.